Oh Captain, My Captain
by Life Could be A Dream
Summary: Captain Lexa Woods was a great many things. Cunning. Brave. Dangerous. Captain of her own pirate ship. But if there was one thing the young piratess was not, she was not tame. Little does she know what awaits her, however, when her ship one day captures a blonde-haired, blue-eyed stranger. (Clexa Pirate AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hello all! I'm very excited to be starting on my second Clexa fic, and I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing this first chapter. This'll probably be a pretty slow burner, but nothing too drastic and difficult to bear (hopefully). Also, I know nothing about sailing a pirate ship, so if I get any details wrong I apologize! In the beginning (no more than three chapters) there is a tad bit of Lexa/Costia, but Clarke comes on the scene very quickly. Besides, we all know what kind of fate awaits poor Costia… If you want to get straight to the Clexa beginnings, jump to Chapter 4 ;)**

 **Anywho, without further ado… chapter 1! Please review, I'm always interested to know what you all think of my stories.**

CHAPTER 1

Cool droplets flew up into the air and peppered the young girl's face as the bottom of the ship rose and fell against the waves, dashing the salty water everywhere. Her chin was titled upwards, her eyes were closed, and the warm sun, which was preparing to set, warmed soft, tanned cheeks. Taking in a deep breath, she knew that there was nowhere else she'd rather be.

The girl, who couldn't have been more than twelve years old, felt gruff hands on her shoulders, and she didn't need to look up to see who it was.

"Good evening, father," she mused.

"Lexa," the old man smiled warmly. His hands were calloused but by no means harsh, and they had never laid a harmful hand on the little girl he called his own. He couldn't afford to, for there was no mother alive anymore to sooth her if he was stern. But he had no reason to be stern, for his Lexa was the sweetest angel to ever grace the deck of _The Flame_.

"One day, Lexa, this trade ship will be your brother's," her father reminded her. "Until then, you must do everything you can to educate him in the ways of sailing, for you're unusually talented in the art."

Lexa understood. Even though she was the eldest child and Aiden was only four, when her father died, as the eldest son, Aiden would take over the ship. Her job, as an "unusually" skilled sailor for a twelve-year-old girl, was to train Aiden until that day came.

Unfortunately for the young sea girl, that day would come much sooner than anyone could've imagined.

 **Ten Years Later**

"Captain!" a voice cried outside of the captain's quarters. It was followed by frantic banging on the oak door. "Captain, please! It's urgent!"

An ivory knife slammed down into the map upon the wooden table. The captain groaned, straightened, and turned towards the door, preparing to answer in the usual curt, gruff voice.

"You may enter."

The small man flung open the door and shut it behind himself as he turned towards the captain he'd grown to idolize, fear, and respect.

"Say your piece, Gustus," Captain Lexa Woods ordered, wrenching the knife out of her table and toying with the blade, running slender fingertips along the sharp edge as if daring it to cut her.

"Captain, we've hit something. We don't know yet whether it's a stationary object or if it's a serpent, but regardless, the lowest deck is starting to fill with water."

"Damage report?" she asked, springing into action as she pulled on her jacket and hat.

"The hole is about the size of a grown man. Unless we find land soon or can repair the damage, we'll sink. Within three hours."

Lexa shot Gustus a cocky grin as she threw open her door and launched herself onto the deck of _The Flame_ and called over her shoulder.

"Gustus, my father didn't entrust me with his ship just so I could let it sink!"

Pushing off the slippery wooden floor with gripped boots, she hurried over to the largest mast. Men were already scurrying around with buckets, thinking they could slow the time that it took water to fill the lowest decks by shoveling it out. She heard the drummer in the rowing deck drumming faster, urging the rowers to pick up speed. She shook her head at everyone's attempts, knowing that their efforts would buy them little time but deciding it was easier to save her ship herself instead of trying to explain.

"Captain Lexa!" a voice called, and Lexa recognized the voice of the only other woman on board. She turned to her first mate and quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes, Indra?"

"Here," Indra said, handing her captain a small hatchet. "This'll cut those ropes faster than any knife can."

Lexa smiled at the woman as she stuffed the hatchet between her belt and waistline.

"Indra, what would I do without you?" she asked. "You're certainly a much better first mate than you were a tutor for me and Aiden."

Indra took no offense, for this was a true statement. She just wished that Lexa could've seen the rest of her childhood through the eyes off a child, not through the eyes of a pirate.

But before she could thank her captain for the offhanded compliment, Lexa was wrapping her arms and legs around the thick mast and hoisting herself up the long wooden pillar that housed _The Flame_ 's largest sail.

Lexa had never really had a fear of heights, but she'd also never tried to climb up the mast with water spraying into her eyes, numbing her fingers, and making the wood slippery. Every inch she climbed higher made her heart beat faster. She had nearly reached her destination – the bottom of the high-reaching sail – when her hand missed one of the ropes tied around the pillar, acting as a ladder rung, and she slid down four feet before finally catching herself again.

"Captain!" Indra called up. Lexa, however, could not hear through the storm raging around them, and continued to climb.

She finally reached her destination and pawed at the hatchet situated at her hip. Swinging it through the air, she brought it down and it met its mark. Busting five of the thickest ropes that England could make was quite a job, but after two minutes, all five were snapped. Lexa smiled as she saw that her actions had the desired effect. The wooden mast swiveled around as the sail finally caught in the direction the wind was blowing and Lexa triumphantly slid down the mast to the ground.

"Victory is ours, Indra," the young captain gloated. " _The Flame_ lives to tee another day."

"But what did you do, captain?" Indra asked, still not fully understanding. "We're sailing at the same speed with the same amount of water flowing in."

"England is an hour and a half this way," Lexa responded, pointing in the direction they were headed. "Not only, but the hole is at the bow, is it not?"

Indra nodded.

"The bow is now facing the wrong way. While I'd never captain a ship backwards for any other occasion, and while there's a lot of damage repairs we're going to have to deal with, I'd argue about a third of the amount of water flowing in earlier is filling up our decks now."

Indra shook her head.

"Your father would be so proud."

Lexa nodded, her victory glow dissipated and a solemn look taking its place. Then, looking around at her crew awaiting instruction, she locked her shoulders back and brought her feet together. The crew responded by getting into formation.

"Tell the rowers to keep rowing hard. Class C, take the buckets down to the galleys and keep shoveling the water out. Class B, follow Class C to the galleys to save any salvageable supplies. Class A, stay up on the deck in a ready attack formation. If what hit us was a creature or another ship, I don't want to be as defenseless as we were the first time around. Gentlemen, prepare to arrive in England in the next two hours. I believe that is all I need to say on the matter."

With that, she nodded and escaped back into her quarters. It _was_ all she needed to say on the matter. After all, a pirate ship arriving to port in 1738 England, damaged or not damaged, meant hangings. She knew some of her crew was going to die – there was no way they'd all be able to escape the British law enforcers in time. She knew a ship builder in the black market who could repair _The Flame_ within a month or two, but she wouldn't return to sea with the same crew she had before.

She scurried around her spacious room, packing all that she could in her father's old leather case. After packing all of her clothes and weapons and anything else that someone may think to pack, she reached for the old stop watch that her father left her. It was the only thing rightfully left to "a Miss Alexandria Woods" in his will – everything else she'd inherited from him was rightfully Aiden's.

Swallowing, Lexa pushed the painful memory out of her mind. Through the thick-paned window near her luxurious bed, she watched the sun rise, and with it came a shout of "land, ho! Land, ho! Liverpool, England! Prepare to dock!"

Lexa sighed, hoisting the case into her arms and approaching her door. This was it.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The pirate's flag on The Flame was lowered and the ship's title, painted in blood red on the side of the hull, was scraped off to conceal the ship's identity. They docked fairly safely, Lexa encouraging most of her crew to jump off before reaching port in order to have time to flee. Fortunately, she and Indra were able to dress in two of Lexa's only dresses and pass off as kidnapped maidens to the dock tax collectors. After assuring the man that they were just fine, the two scurried into the town.

The pair ducked into a tavern and quickly changed into clothes they were more comfortable in, as they'd brought Lexa's leather case with them from the ship. Then Lexa, now clad in a blue, form-fitting captain's jacket, white trousers, a red vest, black boots, and her captain's tricorn, gave Indra firm instructions to stay in the tavern and wait for her to return.

"If I'm not back within an hour, I'm probably dead," Lexa half-joked as she slipped out of the tavern and walked into the now buzzing streets

She swore she'd never return to Liverpool; too many haunting memories resided in this place. The last time she'd walked down these cobblestone streets, she was a twelve-year-old girl who was afraid of her own shadow. Now she was Captain Lexa Woods, commander of _The Flame_ , ruler of the seven seas, con artist, and afraid of nothing.

Looking up, she realized she'd arrived at the doorstep of a hut, one that was sandwiched between two large buildings. Drawing in a shaky breath, she raised her fist and knocked on the door.

A dark-skinned man with tattoos on his neck and head answered. He gazed at her momentarily, as if in disbelief, and suddenly flung his arms around her.

"Lexa, you've grown," he murmured into her hair. She chuckled gently as his arms tightened around her petite waist.

"Uncle Lincoln, it's good to see you," Lexa grinned, pulling away.

"And you as well, my dear," Lincoln smiled at his niece. "Come in, come in. What brings you here?"

Lexa stepped inside the familiar house. Lincoln was of the middle class, and had always been on the good side of the law, but that in no way meant he always had food on the table or warm clothes on his back. Still, the house was homey and she could recall playing on the rug near the fireplace as a small child with the little wooden carvings he made for her.

"Uncle," Lexa sighed. "Father's ship… it's in my care, since Aiden was taken ten years ago," Lexa explained. Lincoln nodded, having heard this story before. Lexa continued, conveniently neglecting to mention her current occupation and exactly what type of ship _The Flame_ now was. "Well, I may have gotten in a bit of a wreck about two hours north of here. Is there any way-"

"Consider it done, Lexa," the shipbuilder interrupted, not even asking for a damage report, as he knew she wouldn't come to him if the ship wasn't salvageable.

"Oh, thank you, Uncle!" Lexa cried, flinging herself into his arms and smiling. "She's at the dock under the name Smith. It was the most common surname I could think of. As for how much it'll cost…"

"I would do it for free if I could, Lex," Lincoln sighed, "but I can't repair it alone. That'd take nearly a year. So I'll need workers to pay. It'll probably cost about 4,000 shillings."

"Consider it done, Uncle," Lexa responded, mimicking her uncle's words.

"But… Lexa, where do you have that kind of money?" he asked incredulously.

"Uh…" Lexa stammered. "Father… in his will? He left me… yes."

"…Right…"

"Right."

Lexa cleared her throat.

"Well, Uncle, I'd better go," she continued. "Thank you ever so much, I'll be staying at the inn three blocks from here if you need me or have any inquiries about the ship. Thank you once again!"

She was just about to close the door when it stopped short. She looked up to see a brown hand holding the oak slab in place and she sighed.

"One last thing," Lincoln insisted. "Why exactly are you dressed like a man?"

Lexa's smile stretched from ear to ear as she kissed his cheek and jogged off down the street.

"I love you, Uncle!"

He smiled and shook his head, staring after his little Lex.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

137 men.

That's how many of the 300 members of her crew that were captured, tried, and sentenced to hanging for piracy. None of them, it seemed, had ratted her out, and Lexa was ever so thankful, though she knew the guilt would weigh on her for years to come. If she hadn't been so neglectful to her duties on the open sea, she would've never had a hole blown in her ship, she would've never had to return to port for repairs, and she would've never lost 137 souls.

Well, at least none of them were Indra or Gustus.

"What is it, Captain?" Indra asked, shouldering her captain gently from the stool beside her. Lexa looked up and shook her head.

"It's my fault," she sighed, tilting her head back and shooting the small glass of liquor. "If I hadn't neglected my duties-"

"Not at all, Captain," Indra corrected. "Not at all."

Crew members were peppered throughout the town, staying in various inns under various aliases, and Lexa and Indra picked an inn that sat above a tavern that doubled as a brothel. Lincoln had informed Lexa that _The Flame_ would be repaired in two months' time. After relaying this information to what crew members she could find throughout the small city, it was spread to all: the crew of _The Flame_ would have a two month leave to do with what they pleased in the fair town of Liverpool, England.

And so much could happen in two months.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Beware, Lexa/Costia relationship ensues for the next two chapters. Please remember, end game is Clexa, but poor Costia really gets the short end of the stick, and I always felt that Lexa did really love her once upon a time.**

CHAPTER 2

Captain Lexa Woods considered herself to be a patient woman. After all, she was staying in a guard-infested British port for two months while her uncle and his workers repaired her ship and had to duck and cover anytime she saw an officer of the law walk by. However, now, as the woman on top of her kissed at her collar bone and pawed at her chest, Lexa was beginning to lose her patience, her need for more friction becoming almost unbearable. With a growl, Lexa rolled on top of the redheaded woman and ground her hips down, eliciting a sharp exhale of breath from the person beneath her.

"Who's supposed to pleasuring whom, Miss Woods?" the girl asked. Lexa smirked and leant down to kiss those full lips again and take the woman that she was lying in bed with.

When it was done, Lexa rolled onto her side, her back facing the woman. She had never been with a prostitute quite like that before, she had never felt the need to pleasure one in return the way she'd just done. And yet, the 'lady of the night' lay next to her with a smirk on her lips, looking quite like the cat who'd just caught the canary. She was two inches shorter than the captain with icy blue eyes and fiery red hair, and Lexa didn't think she'd ever seen a more beautiful soul. Perhaps that was why _she'd_ been the one that Lexa asked to come upstairs to her bed that night in the middle of a drink.

"What's your name?" the captain drowsed as slender fingers swirled along her spine, drawing intricate patterns – circles, rays, dashes. She memorized every touch, the image that her courtesan traced into her back drawing itself in her mind and searing itself into her memory. She'd remember it always.

"Costia," the other woman finally answered.

"Costia what?"

There was a pause, and Lexa could feel Costia grinning.

"Costia," Costia responded.

"How would you like to be Costia Woods?" Lexa asked, turning onto her back to look at her properly. She was only partly joking; she was infatuated.

"Lexa, you're far too young for me," Costia chuckled. "I'm nearly 35."

"I think I can handle you. I'm only the captain of the pirate ship everyone's been spreading rumors about," Lexa countered, before suddenly realizing what she'd said and freezing.

"What was that?" Costia asked.

"I, uh… well. You see-"

Costia silenced her with a kiss, a cool hand seeking brown locks and finding residence at the nape of a tanned neck. Running her tongue along the bottom of Lexa's lip, she used her nose the nuzzle Lexa's before gently pulling away.

"Your secret's safe with me."

Lexa, who was trying to catch her breath, nodded and smiled at Costia.

"I think I love you."

Costia threw her head back and let out a laugh.

"What a sweet notion, Little Captain."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

It had been three days since Lexa had first asked Costia up to her bed, and it was becoming a nightly occurrence. The first night, Costia had cut her price in half, using the excuse that Lexa had returned the favor. The second night, Costia had provided her services free of charge. The third night, Costia spent the night, wrapped up in her lover's arms. She may have had thirteen years on her "client," but she was still the shorter of the pair, and she felt a comfort in resting her head upon the brunette's bare bosom and letting the steady heartbeat, the pounding of war drums, lull her to a comfortable sleep.

Morning came far too soon, and with it, a heavy pounding on the door. The two women woke with a start and Lexa instinctively reached for her pants, a button-up, and her gun while Costia wrapped herself in a sheet and answered the door.

A burly man who was larger than both of the women combined barreled in, pink with anger and probably exertion from climbing the stairs. He barely glanced at Lexa, definitely not noticing that she was armed, and instead turned towards Costia.

"You!" he growled. "Ol' Sally said tha' you wen' upstairs wif a client lass nigh' 'n' never came back. 'S'at true?"

Costia was shaking, and Lexa was about to say something, to shout at the man to leave, to warn him that she'd blow his brains out, when the redhead shot her a weary look, and instantly Lexa knew that she was not supposed to interfere.

"Well, of course, Henry," Costia said, sidling up to her pimp. "I never came back because I was too busy with all of my clients."

"So you didn' jus' see tha one?" he asked.

Costia shook her head.

"I was handsomely paid."

"Lemme see."

Costia's eyes grew. She hadn't even charged Lexa, much less "all of her clients."

"Just over here, Henry, darling, let me go get it."

Costia walked over towards Lexa's bedside slowly, trying to buy time. The man named Henry finally looked over at Lexa, who had taken the time to button her pants and shirt and hide the firearm behind her back.

"Who'er you?" he growled.

"Client number four," Lexa lied, gritting her teeth.

"Yer nothin' but a girl."

"I'm quite a bit, sir, I assure you, as well as a girl."

"I don't much care wha' she puts in 'er mouf, 'slong as you paid 'er handsomely."

"How much of that money that she earns do you keep, sir?"

"Watch yer mouf, girl."

Lexa rolled her eyes.

"Oh, dear, Henry," Costia sighed, walking back over to them. "I seem to have lost it."

"Los' what?"

"The… the money."

Henry's face turned pinker as he strode over to his whore and put her in a headlock. Lexa reacted quickly, pulling out the gun and pointing it straight for the man's head. He saw the weapon and quickly responded, pulling a knife from his belt and pressing it to Costia's jaw.

"Back up, now," he barked, pressing the knife relentlessly into her skin. He pressed the knife hard enough to draw not a drop, but an entire line of blood. Lexa knew he would do it.

"I'll kill 'er, I swear. You back up now. Put yer gun away."

Lexa's hand was steady. She'd shot men in cold blood before, and she would do it again. Henry, however, had never. His hands shook and the blade was only pressed into his victim as hard as it was out of fear. Still, he was going to kill her if he got the chance.

"Lexa, he'll do it," Costia warned, and Lexa nodded. Yes, yes, she knew he would. But she also knew she could outsmart him. So she shot first the hand that held the knife, and Henry dropped it, shouting in pain. Costia jumped away and quickly hurried over to her lover, who was cocking the trigger again and firing straight for the pimp's head.

She hit him right between his eyes.

The obese man fell with a thud. Lexa lowered her gun and Costia yelped initially, burying her face in the brunette's neck.

"It's okay," Lexa whispered. "He's gone."

Indra was not the only one who heard the shot ring throughout the building, but she was the only one who was concerned for Lexa's wellbeing, and quickly ran in to find Lexa with gun in hand, Costia wrapped in a sheet, and a large man with a bullet between his eyes.

"Captain…?" she asked. "Should I be worried?"

"We need to change inns, Indra," Lexa grumbled. Costia let out a little chuckle despite her racing heart and shaking hands.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Uncle!" Lexa smiled as Lincoln opened the door to his niece. He smiled at her with tired eyes. Her ship was almost done, and almost two weeks before the expected finish date.

"Come in, Lexa," he urged. "I have something for you."

"Haven't you done enough for me?" she asked as she stepped inside the house. He shook his head.

"Lexa, I let them take your brother away and murder your father in front of you. I will forever be in your debt."

Lexa closed her eyes at the bitter memory, then handed a small chest full of gold shillings.

"6,000. 2,000 more than requested. Pay your workers… handsomely."

"Lexa, I can't accept this."

"But you must," she insisted. "Now, what did you have for me?"

Lincoln sighed and walked over to his table to pick up a rather large package.

"You'll have to install it yourself, once you've gone to sea," he warned. "If I fixed it onto your ship and the inspectors came before you set sail to check that everything was alright, they'd realize the name _The Flame_ was under is an alias."

Lexa ripped the brown paper that wrapped around the large, circular object to reveal a captain's wheel. The handles were gold tipped and it was inscribed with letters.

 _Captain Lexa Woods of The Flame, Ruler of the Seven Seas_

Lexa let a small smile creep into her features.

"Thank you, uncle."

He smiled at her and turned his head away, not sure if she was interested in speaking anymore and wanting to give her privacy if the answer was no. It was then that she noticed again the black inky patterns on his skin, the beautiful markings that made him individual, that made his skin unique. A thought came to mind as she reached into her pocket to pull out a piece of parchment. It was a drawing, the image that Costia had traced into her back after their first night together.

"Uncle, could you do one more thing for me?"

The process was painful, but Lexa was proud of the tattoo that crept along her spine that morning, a forever representation and reminder of the brief love she shared with the redheaded lady of the night.


End file.
